Is it too much to ask that I would like some character development on the real Clara? We got some but what is holding me back is the whole storyline from last season about how she was in multiple places at once. It would have been nice to see Smith's Doctor and Clara have some kind of relationship but maybe getting a new Doctor we can see both of them develop together. It almost feels like after the 50th anniversary, Doctor Who will be relaunched again, like it was in 2005.

Hmm, well, I can buy that Capaldi can do "fiercer," but when I watched the TV special that introduced him, I thought he'd be good as a more kindly, Troughtonesque Doctor. I guess not, though.

…”I think the fun story will be – and we have the opportunity here – is this is what regeneration can do to you. He can be very, very different.”

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That I like. It was the norm with the Doctors in the original series -- each one was pretty much the complete opposite of his predecessor -- but the past three have been more subtle gradations, and I'm glad we'll finally be getting a major change.

“People really love Jenna, so we make the Doctor quite difficult…”

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Now, that could be risky. If he does it in a Tom Bakerish way as he suggests, that could work, but as you suggest, Colin Baker's "difficult" Doctor comes to mind, and that was less successful.

It almost feels like after the 50th anniversary, Doctor Who will be relaunched again, like it was in 2005.

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I think that's just the nature of this show. You could argue that it was relaunched when Moffat and Smith became the leaders. Tennant's final episode was a BIG goodbye, and when the show came back we had a new Doctor, a new companion, a new TARDIS, AND a new guy in charge of running the show.

Sounds like he's going for the Sixth Doctor Take II. Well it worked out so well last time...

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The Sixth Doctor was initially erratic and volatile as a result of an unstable regeneration. Moffat's description, however, sounds more like a resurrection of the Doctor as the Oncoming Storm, or at least someone who isn't going to take any crap from an oversized pepper pot.

Christopher said:

Hmm, well, I can buy that Capaldi can do "fiercer," but when I watched the TV special that introduced him, I thought he'd be good as a more kindly, Troughtonesque Doctor. I guess not, though.

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I dunno--I think each of the Doctors are multi-dimensional and not just one particular attitude all the time. I think it's still possible for the 12th Doctor to be kind and even comical at times, yet also someone who doesn't suffer fools gladly.

It sounds like he's gonna be a combo of Hartnell-Eccleston, less obviously friendly Doctor. At least, thats kind of what I got from this.

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Funny thing is, for me, although Eccelston's Doctor gives off a first impression of being gruff, watching his whole Series in a couple of days, he really does come off as a bit of a Teddy Bear, despite the initial impression of gruffness

Eccleston's Doctor seemed to be less obviously likeable than Tennant and Smith's. Not to say UNlikeable, but one that could take things more seriously if the situation demanded to - and in the first half of that series, he was rather hard-edged and darker, but mellowed following the whole Are You My Mommy ordeal. Part of that characterization, of course, is embelished in the fact that he's the first post-Time War Doctor, which makes sense of that darkness in him.

For Capaldi, I'm not quite sure what Moffat means to do. Does he mean to make him less on-the-run? Less all-over-the-place?

^ I wonder what the reaction would be like if the Doctor tried to throttle her. Funnily enough I don't think there was much of a hullabaloo when Six tried to strangle Peri, but this time around it's unimaginable that there wouldn't be some controversy.

Eccleston's Doctor seemed to be less obviously likeable than Tennant and Smith's. Not to say UNlikeable, but one that could take things more seriously if the situation demanded to - and in the first half of that series, he was rather hard-edged and darker, but mellowed following the whole Are You My Mommy ordeal. Part of that characterization, of course, is embelished in the fact that he's the first post-Time War Doctor, which makes sense of that darkness in him.

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That's almost totally not the read I have of Eccleston's Doctor.

My "elevator pitch" read of Eccleston is "Davison with PTSD." He's a bit lost like Davison's Doctor was, and he's impotent like Davison's Doctor was, but he's hesitant in a way that Davison's Doctor wasn't. When I call Eccleston "impotent," it's for the "Coward, every time" speech, which is so contrary to who the Doctor is that I'm baffled by RTD's misunderstanding of the character. (The Doctor who destroyed Skaro and Gallifrey is anything but a coward.) And I don't find Eccleston particularly unfriendly -- except maybe in regards to Mickey, to whom he's a total asshole, but that's not just Eccleston, that's also Tennant.

“Just as Clara’s learning to have a proper old crush on him, suddenly he’s Malcolm Tucker!”

PLease no girl crushing on the doctor, or at least don't make her as annoying as Rose.

Moffat thinks it’ll be fun seeing Clara cope with the Doctor being completely different…
…”I think the fun story will be – and we have the opportunity here – is this is what regeneration can do to you. He can be very, very different.”

Didn't Rose and a few other companions go through that already?

“People really love Jenna, so we make the Doctor quite difficult…”
…Moffat likens the situation to Tom Baker’s first season: “He’s really quite difficult to take at the beginning, and you’re very grateful that Sarah and the Brigadier are there to reassure you.”

Um, I am still iffy on Jenna's character. She is a nice enough girl but I don't haven't found my self loving Clara yet. I have seen some of both Pertwee and Baker's episodes. Not sure how Tom wasn't easy to take. I had no problem with watching either.